DOCSLIB.ORG

Florida's Modern Era

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Florida's Modern Era Transportation and Technology at the Beginning of Florida's Modern Era At the dawn of the 20th century, America was establishing itself as an economic and imperialist power, bolstered by a seemingly endless series of modern technological advancements. The state of Florida was also undergoing significant changes, having seen its population increase 90% between 1860 and 1880 (Gannon 1993: 53), and the start of a building boom catering to the expanding consumer market and burgeoning numbers of recreational tourists. America's prominent role in global conflicts, first the Spanish- American War and subsequently World War I, raised concerns about the defense of expansive coastlines such as those in Florida. One of the problems facing both capitalist entrepreneurs and designers of coastal defense systems was the fact that Florida's inland forests and wetlands continued to be a serious impediment to communication and transportation. They turned to modern technology to address this issue. Dredging technology developed rapidly during the latter half of the 19th century. While railroad construction exploded in the last decades of the 19th century, improving inland waterborne transportation was also critical to Florida's rapidly growing economy and security concerns. As steam-powered riverboats became the most important means of transportation in the mid-1800s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continuously labored to make Florida's waterways navigable and investigated options to connect them. Dredge vessels (known simply as "dredges") equipped with the latest engineering devices were employed to deepen channels, and snagboats were used to clear submerged tree trunks, wrecks, and other obstructions. Design drawing of a "Dredger" invented by Raymond A. Perry from his U.S. patent documentation. While not a representation of the Florida itself, this patent was issued in April 1903, just one month before the Florida's construction contract was signed, and thus represents a typical dredging vessel of the time. Design and Construction of the Florida At the turn of the 20th Century it was clear to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Florida District Office that a more modern and powerful dredge-snagboat combination was needed to clear Florida's inland waterways. The River & Harbor Act of 1899 appropriated $35,000 to build a dredge vessel for "river and harbor improvements on the coast of Florida and the waters tributary thereto" (USACE 1899a). It was soon apparent these funds were inadequate when the first round of bids were all too high. An additional $35,000 was appropriated in 1902 for the construction of a "steel hull, stern wheel, combined dredge and snagboat about 115 feet long, 28 feet beam and 7 feet depth, to be driven by a 200 H.P. engine, to be fitted with a 2 yard clamshell and 12-inch centrifugal pump, dredging machinery and snagging appliances adapted for use with dredging machinery" (USACE 1904). The winning bid was submitted by the Merrill-Stevens Engineering Company to build the dredge that would be christened Florida. A contract with this Jacksonville shipbuilding firm was signed on 20 May 1903, and approved on July 11. John Warren Sackett, designer of the dredge Florida. The Florida was designed by General John Warren Sackett, the U.S. Army Corps' Chief Assistant Engineer for the Florida District, to replace the Suwannee, a scow-modeled stern-wheeler dredge that had been in service since 1888 (USACE 1901). Sackett was a well-respected local citizen widely known for his military service in the Spanish-American war, his civil engineering work with the Corps, and for his inventions related to hydraulic dredging (Johnson 1909). Sackett used several of his own patented designs in the Florida, and also incorporated suggestions from the long-serving superintendent of the Suwannee, O.N. Bie (USACE 1899b). Side and front views of a "hydraulic dredging machine" designed by Sackett and patented on November 14, 1893. Many of the features on this vessel were probably incorporated into the design of the Florida. Photograph of the dredge Florida. When launched on 2 April 1904, the Florida was widely recognized as the most technologically advanced vessel of its kind (Florida Times Union11 March 1904). It featured 87 steel frames, 5 watertight bulkheads, 7 longitudinal bulkheads, 87 deck beams, 86 deck plates, 138 hull plates of 1 to 1 1/2 inch steel, and 66,841 rivets (Florida Times Union 5 July 1918). The 175-ton Floridameasured 131 feet in length, 28 feet in breadth, and 7 feet of depth (USDCL 1906: 401). Floridawas outfitted with two boilers, ice and electrical plants, a 12-inch centrifugal pump, and four 45-foot tall spuds for anchoring her to the river bottom. After testing in the St. Johns River (Florida Times Union 22 February 1905), Florida was delivered to the Jacksonville District on 27 March 1905, and started dredging at the Volusia bar the following month (USACE 1905). For the next thirteen years the Florida proved her utility by maintaining channel depths and clearing obstructions on the Oklawaha, St. Johns, and Indian Rivers, on Dunns Creek and Lake Crescent, and at numerous inlets. The vessel had the capability to switch its machinery to perform either hydraulic dredging or snagging and clamshell dredging (USACE 1905). In 1908 she underwent a re-build, and increased to 152 feet in length and 29.9 feet in breadth (USDCL 1918: 503). Dredge Florida at work in Miami Beach in 1915, seven years after her re-build. Loss of the Florida In the spring of 1918 the Florida dredged portions of the East Coast Canal, now known as the Intracoastal Waterway, in the vicinity of St. Lucie to the south (USACE 1918 Volume 2). The state of Florida had suffered a long dry spell, and the extreme low water levels prevented the dredge Floridafrom taking the inland waterway back to northern part of the state. It was only by digging her way through the shoals that Florida made it to Palm City on 17 April, where she remained laid up until orders came through to depart for Jacksonville where she was needed by the U.S. Army's Quartermaster Department at Camp Joseph E. Johnston (USACE 1919 Volume 1:784). Drought conditions still rendered the East Coast Canal non-navigable, but as luck would have it the ship's original designer, now District Engineer Sackett, was on board to "keep himself familiar with the details of the work in his district" (St. Augustine Evening Record 5 July 1918). Though designed as a riverboat, Sackett and Captain Sharp believed the Florida could safely make the offshore Atlantic passage if modified to make her more seaworthy. After the installation of temporary bulkheads to raise her freeboard, Florida cruised out to sea and steamed northwards. But the Florida would never reach her next destination. She encountered a fierce northeaster off Daytona Beach (St. Augustine Evening Record 5 July 1918). After battling the gale for over a day the temporary bulkheads gave way at the bow and the heavily listing Florida was quickly overwhelmed. The 13-man crew was ordered to abandon ship and Florida "sank like a plummet three minutes after the forward bulkhead had been stove in" on July 3rd off Crescent Beach, just south of St. Augustine (Florida Times Union 5 July 1918). Sackett and two crew members (including an African- American seaman listed variously as an oiler, waiter, or cook) drowned. Despite several days of beach patrols and a search of the wreckage by salvage divers, the bodies were never found, and the three victims were declared lost at sea (St. Augustine Evening Record 5, 8, 9, 10, and 13 July 1918). Debris from the shipwreck began to wash ashore almost immediately between Crescent Beach and the Matanzas Inlet. Among the flotsom was furniture, a refrigerator still packed with provisions, the entire pilot house, and the cedar pay chest with the crew's payroll of $3,000 secure inside (St. Augustine Evening Record 6 July 1918). The Florida's spuds protruded from the water and the wreck could be seen from shore. Salvage divers were deployed to search the wreckage for bodies and reported that the "hull and machinery are intact and as the surface conditions seem favorable, wrecking companies will probably be asked to submit bids for raising the craft (St. Augustine Evening Record 16 July 1918). No further information about any ensuing salvage operations is known at this time. Steam yacht turned U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey vessel Isis, wrecked in 1920 when it collided with the sunken Florida. Second Shipwreck: the Loss of the Isis A year and a half later, January 1920, the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey vessel Isis was taking soundings with the goal of marking the submerged Florida wreck as a navigational hazard. Ironically, the Isis struck the very wreck she was supposed to mark, opening a hole in her hull upon impact. Lieutenant Commander Luce immediately steamed towards shore in an effort to beach Isis in a desperate attempt to save her and the crew. He did succeed in preventing any loss of life, though the ship could not be re-floated despite subsequent salvage efforts. According to the St. Augustine Evening Record "a large number of tourists and automobile parties flocked down to Crescent Beach to watch a wrecking crew from the Merrill-Stevens Shipbuilding Company salvage the Isis" (16 January 1920) This was the same company who originally built the Florida. The U.S. revenue cutter Yamacraw also arrived on the scene to assist but a "strong gale with excessive rain broke up the USS Isis" before the salvage operation was completed." The Keeper of the St. Augustine Lighthouse recorded that the "wreck of the Isis [was] broken up and abandoned, only the mast visible" (USLHS 1920).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • America's Authentic Mississippi River Experience
    America’s Authentic Mississippi River Experience All aboard the Twilight Riverboat The Most Elegant River- boat in the last 100 years! PLUS The Spirit of Peoria Riverboat 4 Days / 3 Nights - August 16-19, 2021 TOUR INCLUDES: COST PER PERSON: Modern Motorcoach Transportation $999.00 double 3 Nights Lodging 3 Breakfasts Triple - $919.00 Single - $1299.00 2 Lunches Deposit: $100. at time of registration 2 Dinners Balance: Is due by June 15, 2021 2 Days Mississippi River Cruise Cancellation Protection: $75 per person due with your Riverboat Entertainment deposit and protects all monies (except the $75)in the event of cancellation for any reason, anytime prior to National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium departure. Spirit of Peoria Paddlewheel Cruise Cancellation Without Protection: Cancel 45 Days Prior - Full Refund Luggage Handling Cancel 45- 14 days prior - $300.00 Charge All Tax & Tips on Included Meals Cancel Within 14 Days - 50% Refund Cancellation Protection is Recommended Call the Tour Coordinator 419-423-8496 Shoreline Charter & Tours Inc. 339 East Melrose Ave. P.O. Box 43075, Detroit, MI 48243 1-800-265-0818 Findlay, OH 45840 www.shorelinetours.com SAMPLE ITINERARY: Day 1 - A NEW tour begins with a travel day to LeClaire, Iowa home of the Twilight Riverboat, America’s Authentic Mississippi River Experience. Overnight in LeClaire, Iowa and dinner on your own. Day 2 - At 7:00 a.m. we’ll board the Riverboat Twilight, the Most Elegant Riverboat to be launched in the last 100 years! www.riverboattwilight.com The Twilight was designed as a replica of the lavish Victorian Steamboats of over a century ago.
    [Show full text]
  • The River Steam Boat: a Ticking Time Bomb out of the Experience of The
    The River Steam Boat: A Ticking Time Bomb Out of the experience of the early years of the river steam boat, there emerged two architectures of steam-engine design and building. The first and for some years the predominant one was that provided by Boulton and Watt, with their low-pressure condensing steam engine. This was the architecture followed by Robert Fulton with his early success on the Hudson estuary. However, it was less than a decade after Fulton’s successful trip up the Hudson that steam engines based on designs using high pressure steam began to evolve. The result was largely to reshape the pattern of steamboat design and virtually eliminate the earlier low-pressure practices of Fulton, Boulton and Watt. The development of the high-pressure steam engine with its attendant steam boiler was governed almost entirely by practical considerations. The advantages of the simple, compact, low-cost high pressure engine over the low-pressure engine with its complicated condensing apparatus, greater size and weight, and heavy requirements of condensing water were clearly apparent and appropriate to American conditions. These conditions were (1) scarcity of capital and skilled labor, (2) scarcity of repair facilities and (3) limited scale of operation. All of these conditions, at one time or another, contributed to the fateful disasters that followed. Although explosions were by no means confined to boilers generating steam at high pressure, it was with this class of boiler that this type of operating hazard appeared in its most destructive and spectacular form. Every high-pressure boiler was in operation a storehouse of concentrated energy in the form of water and steam at high temperature confined under pressures ranging from 30 to 150 psi [i.e., pounds per square inch] and upward.
    [Show full text]
  • Riverboat Site Selection Lesley Johnson Ph.D
    Riverboat Site Selection Lesley Johnson Ph.D. Student William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration University of Nevada, Las Vegas and John Bowen, Ph.D. Associate Professor William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration University of Nevada, Las Vegas Abstract The riverboat casino is the most rapidly expanding segment of the gaming industry. Six states have already legalized riverboat/dockside gaming, and it is currently under review in at least 13 other states. The explosion of this gaming market is fueled by a combination of demand and supply side forces. Gaming, as a form of entertainment, is growing in popularity and acceptance. States experiencing hard economic times view riverboat gaming as a means to generate both non-tax receipts and tourism. Gaming companies seek to profit from this emerging market that has an apparently high demand and, initially, little competition. Competition, however, must continue at a level that allows a new entrant to gain a profitable share of the market. As competition in riverboat gaming continues to escalate, site selection will become an increasingly important factor in predicting the future success or failure of an operation. This paper looks at locational issues in Iowa and Illinois based on market and com­ petitive forces. A regression model, using financial data from the respective state's gam­ ing boards and demographic data from SCAN/US, was developed to relate the gross win and win per square foot (dependent variables) to the independent variable ofa population radius. The results were compared to a survey of gaming executives operating in the same states. Introduction Read My Lips -- No New Taxes.
    [Show full text]
  • R.M. Lintner Riverboat Collection, Ca
    Collection # M 0945, OM 0464 R.M. LINTNER RIVERBOAT COLLECTION, CA. 1860S–1990S (BULK CA. 1940S– 1960S) Collection Information Biographical/Historical Sketch Scope and Content Note Series Contents Cataloging Information Processed by Kelly Gascoine February 13, 2008 Manuscript and Visual Collections Department William Henry Smith Memorial Library Indiana Historical Society 450 West Ohio Street Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269 www.indianahistory.org COLLECTION INFORMATION VOLUME OF Manuscript Materials: COLLECTION: 14 document cases, 1 card file box, 1 oversize folder Visual Materials: 32 boxes of photographs, 1 box of OVA size photographs, 1 folder of color photographs, 1 box of OVB size graphics, 2 folders of oversize graphics in flat file storage, 1 photograph album, 3 boxes of slides, 4 boxes of 4x5 acetate negatives COLLECTION Ca. 1860s–1990s (Bulk 1940s–1960s) DATES: PROVENANCE: Russell M. Lintner, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1992 RESTRICTIONS: Negatives and slides may be viewed only with the assistance of library staff. Films are not available, see Series 21 for explanation. COPYRIGHT: REPRODUCTION Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection RIGHTS: must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. ALTERNATE FORMATS: RELATED HOLDINGS: ACCESSION 1992.0232 NUMBER: NOTES: Indiana Historical Society R.M. Lintner Riverboat Collection Page 1 BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL SKETCH Russell M. Linter was born 16 December 1904. A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania resident, Lintner worked for Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation as a General Office Purchasing Department Expeditor. His interest in steamboats began in 1933 when he visited riverboats docked at the Monongahela River Wharf. Soon Lintner was traveling downriver on packet and supply ships and photographing riverboats.
    [Show full text]
  • Container-‐On-‐Barge for Illinois Fueled by Biodiesel an Operating
    Container-on-Barge for Illinois Fueled by Biodiesel An Operating Plan and Business Plan August 27, 2011 Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction and Overview ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 2.0 Research/Investigation/Reports -------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 3.0 Lessons to Consider -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 4.0 Inland Rivers Operations -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 4.1 Ownership -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 4.2 Towboats/Barges -------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 4.3 River Operations Modes -------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 4.4 The “Power Split” -------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 4.5 River Freight Pricing -------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 5.0 Designing Illinois COB -------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 5.1 Design Alternatives -------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 5.1.1 Purchased -------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 5.1.2 Leased -------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 5.1.3 Unit Tow -------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 6.0 Gulf COB – Cargo Flexibility -------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 7.0 COB Program
    [Show full text]
  • Boats and Harbors Publication 9-06
    ® -and-har $4.00 ats bor bo s. c w. o w m BOATS & HARBORS w FIRST NOVEMBER ISSUE 2018 VOLUME 61 NO. 18 Covering The East Coast, Gulf Coast, West Coast And All Inland Waterways PH: (931) 484-6100 • FAX: (931) 456-2337 • Email: dmyers@boats-and-harbors Boats and Harbors Can Make Your Business Fat and Sassy Like A Turkey! Serving the Marine Industry Over 40 Years Chris Gonsoulin, Owner • (850) 255-5266 Otherwise........Your Business [email protected] • www.mbbrokerage.net Could End Upside Down Year: 1970 Without A Clucker! Dimensions: 100’ x 30’ x 9.7’ Caterpillar 3516 BOATS & HARBORS® P. O. Drawer 647 Main Engines Crossville, Tennessee 38557-0647 • USA 3,000HP 60KW Generator Sets Twin Disc MG 5600 6:1 ALL ALUMINUM Price: 1.50M REDUCED TO $985K! Year: 1981 Dimensions: 65’ x 24’ Engines: Detroit Diesel 12V-149 Horsepower: 1350HP 40KW Generator Sets Twin Disc Reverse/ Reduction Gears 5.0:1 PRICE: $549K! See Us on the WEB at www.boats-and-harbors.com BOATS & HARBORS PAGE 2 - FIRST NOVEMBER ISSUE 2018 WANT VALUE FOR YOUR ADVERTISING DOLLAR? www.FRANTZMARINE.com 320' x 60' x 28 Built 1995, 222' x 50' clear deck; U.S. flag. Class: Over 38 Years in the Marine Industry ABS +A1 +DP2. 280' L x 60' B x 24' D x 19' loaded draft. Built in 2004, US Flag, 2018 Workboat Edition - OSV’s - Tugs - Crewboats - Pushboats - Derrick Barges Class 1, +AMS, +DPS-2. Sub Ch. L & I. 203' x 50' clear deck. 272' L x 56' B x 18' D x 6' light draft x 15' loaded draft.
    [Show full text]
  • From Sternwheels to Stern Drives on the Columbia River
    Shaver Many Shaver tugs, including the Port- SHAVER TRANSPORTATION: land and Sommer S, seen here assisting a bulk carrier on the FROM STERNWHEELS TO STERN DRIVES lower Willamette River, are equipped with line-handling cranes. Photo cour- ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER tesy of Shaver. SHAVER TRANSPORTATION OF PORTLAND, By Peter Marsh The wooden sternwheelers of that era Oregon has been a fixture on the Columbia were all driven hard and not built to last long. River since 1880 when George Washington Manzanillo, he After 15 years, Shaver’s top two boats were Shaver progressed from supplying wood to fuel steamboats scrapped and the steam engines were removed and re-used to operating his first sternwheeler. On the Hendersonin new boats carrying the same name. However, 1901 saw the began hauling freight to the downriver communities as far as launch of a sternwheel tug that proved to be the exception: the Clatskanie, Oregon. By 1893, Shaver and his two sons James lived a charmed life, despite numerous mishaps. It W. and George M. Shaver were ready to incorporate and open was sunk and rebuilt in 1912, rebuilt and re-engined in 1929, theirGeorge own boatyard. W. Shaver Sarah Dixon and sunk and raised again in 1950. They launched two luxurious passenger carriers named It survived into the 1950’s and became famous for its the and the after himself and appearance in the movie “BendHenderson of the River” starring James his wife. There was fierceT. J. Potter, competition among the numerous- Stewart. This film included an old-time steamboat racePortland down, passenger carriers on the run to Astoria, especially from the the Columbia River,Henderson with the going up against famous sidewheeler owned by the Oregon Rail the heavily disguised steel-hulled sternwheeler way and Navigation Company (ORNC).
    [Show full text]
  • Cruise Boat Industry Economic Impact Assessment
    October 2020 Lewis Clark Valley Cruise Boat Industry Economic Impact Assessment PREPARED FOR PREPARED BY October 2020 Lewis Clark Valley Cruise Boat Industry Economic Impact Assessment PREPARED FOR PREPARED BY Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction and Methodology ......................................................................................................... 3 Lewis Clark Valley Cruise Industry ..................................................................................................... 4 History of Riverboats in Lewis Clark Valley ........................................................................................................ 4 Cruise Ship and Passenger Volume ...................................................................................................................... 5 Vessel Travel Patterns ................................................................................................................................................ 6 Passenger Travel Patterns ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Passenger Tours ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Additional Spending Opportunities ....................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • American Cruise Lines New Modern Riverboat Passes Sea Trials
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM AMERICAN CRUISE LINES Media Contact: Alexa Paolella Public Relations Manager Tel: (203) 453-6800 Email: [email protected] American Cruise Lines New Modern Riverboat Passes Sea Trials GUILFORD, CT—August 31st, 2020—American Cruise Lines proudly announces that American Jazz has passed Sea Trials with flying colors. Following the successful trials, American accepted delivery of the riverboat from Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, MD. The 190-passenger American Jazz is the latest in American’s acclaimed series of 5 new modern riverboats and will be added to the company’s fleet on the Mississippi River. American’s building plans have continued at full strength, despite this year’s pause in cruising, underscoring the Line’s confidence in domestic U.S. small ship cruising. “American Jazz and the modern riverboats we currently have under construction demonstrate our commitment to leading the U.S. river cruise market by adding new small ships each year,” said Charles B. Robertson, President & CEO of American Cruise Lines. “The outlook for 2021 is tremendous and we look forward to American Jazz’s first full season on the Mississippi, as well as the introduction of American Melody, the next new ship to follow in our modern riverboat series.” American’s small ship fleet has expanded year after year, as the company continues to introduce innovative small ship designs with exceptional accommodations that enhance guests’ experiences on the Mississippi River, the Columbia & Snake Rivers, and across the U.S.A. Since 2017, American Cruise Lines has debuted 5 new ships; expanding its overall fleet to 12 ships in 2020, with more new builds coming in 2021 and 2022.
    [Show full text]
  • Mrcca Surface Water Uses Handbook
    LOCAL PLANNING MRCCA SURFACE WATER USES HANDBOOK INTRODUCTION MRCCA plans must minimize potential conflict of surface water uses, if applicable, as authorized under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 86B. Surface water uses are uses of the river surface such as recreational boat traffic, barge fleeting (a managed parking lot for barges on the river) and commercial riverboat tours. Surface water uses are related to, but different from, water-oriented uses which are land uses (barge terminals, recreational marinas). This surface water use plan element is a combination of two plan elements from rules, part 6106.0070, Subp. 4.B.(4) and part of (5). Surface water uses may cause surface water use conflicts and external impacts. Where these surface water uses exist, the plan should address how they will be managed to minimize external impacts and surface water conflicts. MINIMUM MRCCA PLAN REQUIREMENTS 1. Describe (if applicable) • Describe any existing and potential surface water use conflicts or negative impacts (e.g. riverbank erosion) and/or improvement opportunities (i.e., high-traffic boating and fishing areas, paddle-share, riverboat tours, rowing, barging, other uses) on the river in your community and explain why they are important to resolve or improve. • Describe any existing and proposed barge fleeting areas (if applicable) and explain why they are important to the community, and identify areas where barge fleeting could have a negative impact on PCAs and should be avoided. 2. Policies (if applicable) A. Required Policies These can be used verbatim or customized as appropriate: • Recognize the Mississippi River as a “working river” that is important to the economy of the Twin Cities metropolitan area and the Midwest.
    [Show full text]
  • AMERICAN HARMONY, America's Newest Modern Riverboat, Arrives
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM AMERICAN CRUISE LINES Media Contact: Alexa Paolella Public Relations Manager Tel: (203) 453-6800 Email: [email protected] AMERICAN HARMONY, America’s Newest Modern Riverboat, Arrives in New Orleans Introducing American Harmony, American Cruise Lines’ newest Modern Riverboat GUILFORD, CT—July 22, 2019— The 2nd modern riverboat in the U.S.A., American Harmony, has arrived to the Port of New Orleans. The newest ship in American Cruise Lines’ groundbreaking series of 5 modern riverboats, will remain docked in its homeport of New Orleans until it departs on its inaugural Mississippi River cruise this August 17th. New Orleans is monumentally significant in the history of American-built ships on the Mississippi River. As one of the very first American steamboats—a paddlewheeler named the New Orleans—was the first steamboat to make the historic Mississippi River voyage from Pittsburgh, PA to New Orleans, LA in 1811. Historically, it is fitting to have American Harmony and the country’s first modern style riverboats make their inaugural sailings from New Orleans. American Cruise Lines’ modern riverboats are the first major style departure from the classic paddlewheel riverboats that have been plying the Mississippi since the early 1800s. American Cruise Lines is honored to continue the legacy of American ingenuity and American shipbuilding by introducing American Harmony and the first modern riverboats in the U.S. from this magical city. In addition to 2019’s new American Harmony, American Cruise Lines introduced their modern series flagship, American Song on the Mississippi in 2018, and plans to introduce their 3rd modern riverboat, American Jazz, on the Mississippi in 2020.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Georgia Queen Georgia Queen
    THE NEW GEORGIA QUEEN GEORGIA QUEEN Built in 1995 as a luxury floating casino on The Georgia Queen will make a long journey the Mississippi River, at a cost of 14 million leaving behind her once home and travel 2,800 dollars, this 1800s majestic paddlewheel- miles down the Mississippi River, across the Gulf of style riverboat spent many years traveling the Mexico, down and around the shorelines of Florida Mississippi River. After gambling legislations and Key West to call Savannah her new home. changed, allowing for land-based casinos to This spectacular paddlewheel-style riverboat will open, the riverboat would undergo a 4 million be joining the Savannah River Queen as her grand dollar make-over taking on a new face of the sister ship — The Georgia Queen! grandest riverboat dinner cruise ship. The Georgia Queen has This elite kitchen is also returned to being the largest equipped with a large service and grandest riverboat of its elevator, making traveling kind in the United States and between galleys discrete and is among the top elite in the easy. The onboard kitchen country. The Georgia Queen facility will change the entire measures an impressive 230 ft dining experience for guests long, 64 ft wide and a towering and will allow for more plated 68ft tall and features 3 grand dinner opportunities and ballrooms with over 15,000 flexibility in menu items. sq/ft of dining space, a 5,000+ sq/ft fully open-air, top deck with patio seating and encompasses a total of 38,000 sq/ft. She can carry 1,000 passengers plus 200 crew; which makes her the size of a small cruise ship.
    [Show full text]